Yay! It is finally the time of summer when tomatoes are ripe! After lamenting over the pathetic tomatoes at the grocery store that we buy for most of the year I simply can't get enough of fresh grown tomatoes! Taste of Home had quite a few tomato recipes in last months issue and I couldn't wait to try a few. This weekend I made country-style tomatoes and they were so good! Now, my family didn't all agree with me but they enjoy fresh tomatoes and will eat them like an apple and so cooked tomatoes just don't appeal to the majority. Thankfully we had company and they helped me eat these up and I also did halve the recipe.
I can't get enough of garlic and so the filling was just perfect!
Country-Style Tomatoes
4 lg. tomatoes
1 8 oz. pkg.creme cheese, softened
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1- 1/2 tsp. minced fresh basil
1 garlic glove
1/4 t. salt
1/4 cup flour
1 cup panko (Japenese) bread crumbs
1 egg
1 T. milk
3 T. butter
3 T. olive oil
Cut each tomato into four thick slices; place on paper towels to drain.
Beat the cream cheese, parsley, basil, garlic, and salt until blended.
Spread cream cheese mixture over eight tomato slices and top with remaining slices making a "sandwich".
Place flour and bread crumbs in separate bowls. In another bowl, whisk egg and milk. Coat the top and bottom of each sandwich with flour, dip into egg mixture, then coat with crumbs. (This is a little messy!)
Heat butter and oil over medium-hot heat in skillet. Fry tomato sandwiches in batches for 3 -4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.
For those of you who are interested in John's racing here is a quick update. He raced in Bark River, MI this past weekend which is his favorite track. Of course in keeping with how the season has gone he was working hard the past two weeks in-between races to fix various problems. (I probably forgot to blog about the Oshkosh race but he had amazing races that weekend with a podium win for one of them!) After his practice run on Friday night two bolts from the power steering were sheered off. That was an easy fix though as he replaced the bolts.
Saturday's race John had a great start getting himself up into fourth in the first lap coming on strong but that didn't last long. Another car spun out in front of John causing him to run into the car and come to a stop. He was stuck there for a short time trying to restart the engine. After he got it going he was going much slower. As it turns out John had lost power steering and had to "muscle" his way the rest of the race. Meaning that the wheel is shaking all over the place and he has to hold tight to keep it straight in addition to shifting, etc. He was able to finish in 5th but was disappointed and had very sore arms. He again replaced the bolts that had sheered off hoping it would hold.
Sunday's race started off good again. He was going strong and was in fourth place about halfway through when they called a "competition yellow" which bunches all of the cars up to make it more interesting for those watching. It can be a good thing if you are in the back but if you are up front, not always. This time for John after the slow-down those bolts sheered off again and he lost his power steering. He pulled off the track not finishing the race as it was too much to try and muscle through again.
John and I have talked about how good and seemingly easy the past years have been and are stressing to the children how life will not always be easy and that we need to accept the bad right along with the good.
In looking the car over John would need to replace a part with the power steering that he does not want to spend the money on and so that is the end of our race season. :( He is still contemplating what to do in the future but at this time he is planning a year off.
I can't image a summer without racing as it has become a way of life that began even before we were married -- racing 17 years. It is a good family time, (at least when Daddy doesn't have to spend as much time on his car) and the boys will miss it. His dream situation would be to drive for a team where a crew works on his vehicle, most likely a truck, and he gets paid to drive. We'll see what the future holds.
John worked long and hard on getting his engine ready for the race a last weekend ago. (Yes, I know I am actually posting 3 weeks later but better late than never. I actually wrote this shortly after but never posted as I didn't have a picture. I am back-dating to keep in line). He was able to get a new head for the engine and in the past few weeks checked and double checked all he could think of to hopefully have his engine running as it should. As the season has not been what we have hoped for we pretty much were counting on the worst happening.
I was to drive our van and meet John at my parents house. He had taken the motor home to work with him and my parents were going to drive our van up the next day. I spent the day with last minute baking, etc. and didn't realize what little Missy Blue was up to. I had the children all finally in the van and ready to go. As I turned the key I hear a clicking noise and I assumed the battery was dead. I remembered then that the van alarm had gone off earlier as Missy was playing inside with the locks but I didn't think to check what she had been up to. It seems she probably had turned all of the lights on and they stayed on for most of the day.
I called John at work and he couldn't believe it but thankfully his car was home to use in jumping the battery so the boys and I went in search of the jumper cables. They helped me to get the hoods lifted and find the battery. (I did know these things but the boys insisted that I had no clue what I was doing). I was amazed to see how they flocked around the hood of the vehicles as if drawn to the engine. Must be a boy thing. John talked me through getting the cables hooked up as I had not done that for some time. Of course it didn't work at first and I kept rearranging until I did get a spark. John realized that the posts on his battery were corroded and so I needed to make sure the cables were really gripping it. That did it and the van started up. Thank you Lord! We can finally be on our way.
The rest of the weekend was a good one. John's parents were there as always and mine always come for the Bark River race. John raced on Saturday and it was an exciting one but he still had some problems with his carburetor causing him to be slower than he would like. It looked as if he would come in fifth place but at the finish line another car made a move to try and get ahead which caused his car to stall and John slid into fourth! We relaxed a little that evening with the kids swimming at the pool at my parents hotel but we went back and John took apart the carburetor and cleaned that all out finding a broken spring. He was tired out that night and his eyes hurt from trying to see those small parts. Racing is not coming quite as easy for him this year.
Sunday he got his car all ready to go and we headed to Bark River Bible church which we always enjoy so much. It was a beautiful day and John was ready to race. He started in last position and throughout the race worked his way to the top finishing in second! We were all so excited to see him back on the podium! It was a good weekend and this time John can relax a little more between races.
I returned home Sunday night after a race weekend to find bananas in our hanging basket loaded with fruit flies. Moving them made the flies swarm and it was bad! I recalled a remedy I read possibly on my "blog friend's" site last summer and so I tried it and it worked GREAT! By morning I had a bowl full of fruit flies, 65 to be exact (George counted). If you need to be rid of fruit flies give this a try.
1. Pour cider vinegar in a bowl.
2. Drizzle a bit of dish soap around on top of the vinegar.
3. Do NOT mix!
4. Let it sit and catch the fruit flies.
I really like the look of the knots in the front and they are so easy. I can use that with other hairstyles as well.
This is not a Sunday morning hairstyle! :)
I do think he enjoyed himself though.
His gifts. His siblings chipped in their money to buy him legos this year too. They were so excited to be able to do that. The shoes are a bit worn already as his Grandparents gave them to him early since he really needed them.
This is supposed to depict the scene from the Indiana Jones lego game -- Battle on the Bridge. I don't like how the waterfall looks on this picture. 
Those are milk chocolate rocks at the base that looked so real. I used fondant for the vines. Pete and Re-Pete kneaded the color into it for me.
Pete and Re-Pete squirting the dye onto their shirts.
Even Missy could handle this and surprisingly with little mess.
The gang at the parade including my nephew who we also made a shirt for. We had quite a few comments that day -- I suppose we do anytime they are dressed alike.